Space Wolves

HISTORY

The Vlka Fenryka are one of the original twenty First Founding Space Marine Legions1. The long and glorious history of The Rout is available to historians of the Imperium and thus need not be told again in this documentation of the Adrilles War.

ADRILLES WAR

Within that storied history there is need to point out that Magister Militum Frans Ruldolf and his Jager Corps were not unknown to Arjac Rockfist and Logan Grimnar. Space Wolves and Jager Corps had fought side-by-side in several battles against Tyranids, including that infamous war on the crystal plains of Vhaldon IX. What the historians do not tell us is if Frans Ruldolf and Grand Librarian Hoeth had shared with Grimnar and Rockfist their theories regarding Psykers and Tyranid Hive Mind. One would have to think Frans Ruldolf and Hoeth were more discreet, but someone must have spoke of the plans in order for Arjac Rockfist to begin his hunt for the Jager Corps. Some theories suggest that the Imperium did not become aware of the Jagers’ plans until they started visiting and exploring the world decimated by Kryptman’s Gambit.

What is known for certain is Arjac Rockfist did track the Jagers to Adrilles and moved his sizeable force into orbit around that planet. An orbital bombardment was followed by a planet-wide assault, a well-planned offensive that was prematurely launched when the warring Necron dynasties awoke. Rockfist’s plans went further awry due to the unforeseen presence of Chaos and, as a result of this and many other factors, the assault failed and what was to be a single, massive offensive with the purpose of wiping out the Jagers became simply the first of many battles in a lengthy war.

After the failure of the Assault of Grimmig, Logan Grimnar arrived in the Adrilles system with reinforcements for the beleagured Rockfist, including a force of Adeptus Mechanicus. Logan Grimnar took control of the Vlka Fenryka. Grimnar’s first major offensive was a series of battles known as Breaking Tide – The Volcanic North, which was designed to push the Sautekh Necrons from strategic positions within the volcanic northern region of the planet. The Rout and their allies managed to gain ground in the north during this offensive, but at considerable cost. Arjac Rockfist fell in battle as did the ancient Dreadnought known as Murderfang.

NOTABLE BATTLES

Notable battles of the Adrilles War in which the Space Wolves participated:

Arjac RockfistArjac Rockfist, Wolf Lord, The Man-Mountain, the Anvil of Fenris, leads the Space Wolves during the Adrilles War. Years earlier, with the support of Lord Grimnar, Arjac Rockfist began his search for the Jager Corps. His goal was to stop the heretics from enacting their plans to execute psychic experiments in an effort to control Tyranids.

When the explosion of Abfall damaged Strike Cruiser Claw of Russ, Arjac Rockfist made planetfall with a small number of troops in an effort to turn the tide of what would become known as the Battle of First Contact. This was almost immediately after reports emerged of Necron and Chaos Daemons taking part in the fighting. Arjac Rockfist was wounded in that battle and later evacuated from the planet thanks in no small part to The Lone Wolf and Harald Deathwolf. From orbit, Arjac Rockfist would continue to coordinate what troops he could contact, eventually deciding to use the resources available to him in his orbital forces to assault the moon Grimmig. When Logan Grimnar later assumed command, Arjac Rockfist took to the field in a series of assaults on Sautekh and Chaos positions in the volcanic north. It is here that Rockfist fell.

Harald DeathwolfWolf Lord Harald Deathwolf was one of several commanders tasked with leading a force to the surface of Adrilles in the first day of fighting in the Adrilles War. He and his troops were landed in the volcanic northern hemisphere, less than a hundred kilometers from the location of the Battle of First Contact. Soon after landing, Deathwolf and his troops were attacked by wave after wave of Tyranids. Knowing there must be Jager Corps Psykers controlling the Tyranids, the Wolf Lord ordered his troops forward. The Tyranid numbers never thinned despite the hordes slain. Taking losses and seeing no immediate end to the threat, Deathwolf ordered his units to establish a defensive positions in a set of ruins. This place would come to be known as The Death Head.

Murderfang
In 960.M41, on the hell world of Omnicide, Logan Grimnar’s Great Company stumbled upon a feral Space Wolf Dreadnought carving its way through a force of Chaos Space Marines. After a fierce struggle, the murderous machine was captured, frozen in stasis and taken back to The Fang for study. What the Dreadnought’s name had been or how he had come to be there on Omnicide remains a mystery. What is known is that the Curse of the Wulfen had long since taken hold, driving the warrior within with blood lust and feral savagery.

When Arjac Rockfist told Logan Grimnar of his plan to hunt down the Jager Corps, Grimnar offered Murderfang up for service. Arjac saw this as proof that Grimnar shared his belief that the Jager Corps were a serious threat to the Imperium because Murderfang was only ever awoken and sent into battle when the need was most dire.

Murderfang was deployed via Drop Pod in the first day of the planet-wide assault on Adrilles. He was one unit in the Space Wolves force engaged in what would become known as the Battle of First Contact. In that battle, he closed with a unit of Jager Corps controlled Tyranid Warriors as soon as he made planetfall. He slew the lot of them. A moment later, Arjac Rockfist was felled by Rubicon Necron fire only a few feet away from him. Two lone Blood Klaws fashioned a makeshift stretcher for their fallen leader while Murderfang stood guard. The three lone survivors of the Battle of First Contact crossed the volcanic landscape with their felled leader in tow and hordes Termagaunts in pursuit. The three reached a fortified position held by Harald Deathwolf. This would be the site of the Battle of the Lone Wolf. Murderfang played a critical role in that battle thus allowing Arjac Rockfist to be evacuated via Thunderhawk.

Murderfang was involved in a number of battles big and small in the weeks following his arrival at The Death Head. He was eventually summoned to the volcanic north by Arjac Rockfist where Murderfang joined his commander in the series of attacks known as Breaking Tide – The Volcanic North. It is here that the ancient warrior faced three charging Tyranid Carnifexes and was destroyed.

The Lone WolfThe Blood Klaw that would come to be known as The Lone Wolf was the sole survivor of his unit in the Battle of First Contact. He and another Blood Claw from another decimated unit, dragged their fallen leader– Arjac Rockfist– across the volcanic landscape to reach the safety of Harald Deathwolf’s position. The other Blood Klaw was killed by a long range shot from a Tyranid Warrior, but The Lone Wolf survived and stood guard over his liege’s body as a horde of Termagaunts rushed his position. Arjac was evacuated.

Woldermort WolftongueWolf Priest Woldermort Wolftongue commanded the Space Wolves in the Adrilles War briefly when Arjac Rockfist fell during the Battle of First Contact. Wolftongue, commanding from the bridge of Strike Cruiser Hammerfall, ordered a retreat, an action he was later reprimanded for when Rockfist returned to Strike Cruiser Claw of Russ following the Battle of the Lone Wolf. Shortly thereafter, Wolftongue was ordered to land and lead an expeditionary force to the mountainous southern hemisphere of Adrilles. It was here that Wolftongue established a stronghold from where the Space Wolves could land additional troops and continue the war on the planet’s surface.

STRONGHOLDS

Strike Cruiser Claw of RussArjac Rockfist’s command ship from whence the first assault on Adrilles was orchestrated. As the planetary assault began, the Claw of Russ sustained considerable damage from the shockwave caused by the destruction of Abfall when the Rubicon Necrons woke from their slumber. After his return to the Strike Cruiser following the Battle of the Lone Wolf, Arjac moved the Claw of Russ to orbit the moon Grimmig where he believed Sautekh Necrons and Khorne were in a position of the strength.

Strike Cruiser Hammerfall
Under the command of Woldermort Wolftongue, Strike Cruiser Hammerfall was not damaged when Abfall exploded. Hammerfall remained in orbit over Adrilles after Wolftongue led an expeditionary force to the planet to set up a base of operations in the mountainous southern region. Hammerfall’s orders were to intercept any Jager Corps vessels leaving the planet.

Strike Cruiser Ire of Grimnar
The Ire of Grimnar was the third Strike Cruiser in Arjac Rockfist’s host.

Skull Helm
A large expeditionary force led by Wolf Priest Woldermort Wolftongue established a stronghold in the mountainous southern region of Adrilles. He named it Skull Helm and it would be the Space Wolves base of operations for the remainder of the war that raged on the planet’s surface.

The Death HeadIn the volcanic northern hemisphere of Adrilles, Harald Deathwolf managed to establish a defensive position that survived wave after wave of Tyranids. It was here that the Battle of the Lone Wolf was fought. In time, this position would become known as The Death Head because of the thousands of heads spiked in the killing fields as warning to those who would test the might of Harald Deathwolf.

Rockfist’s InfernoWhen The Rout successfully gained a position of strength in the volcanic north during The Breaking Tide, the victorious yet greatly reduced forces named the position Rockfist’s Inferno in honour of their fallen leader.

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Historical data provides context to the current struggles in our part of the 40K universe. If our campaign takes liberties with canon it does so for the benefit of our game and not as a slight to the work of Games Workshop and fans of 40K.
1. First Founding